


still the sun shines

by deplore



Category: Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 14:46:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11853762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deplore/pseuds/deplore
Summary: Ephraim participates in a Frelian festival, and when it comes to Ephraim, Innes always finds something to criticize.The corners of Ephraim’s lips twitch up to form something in between a smile and a smirk, an expression Innes finds inexplicably frustrating. “For a moment, I thought you were suggesting that you’re worried you’ll be too charmed by me,” Ephraim begins.Innes cuts him off: “Don’t take it in a strange way. I didn’t mean it like that.”“But then I thought to myself, you aren’t likely to be charmed at all,” Ephraim says, in flagrant disregard of Innes’s attempt to make him stop. “I find that reassuring, you know. It makes me feel more comfortable around you.”





	still the sun shines

“That’s not how you were supposed to hold it, you know,” Innes says, tone reproachful. “It’s a ceremonial scepter, not a spear.”

“Sorry,” Ephraim replies. “Force of habit, I suppose. Hopefully it wasn’t that noticeable, though?”

“It was acceptable enough,” Innes says, even though a part of him knows that nobody else noticed Ephraim failed to hold the scepter at anything less than perfectly perpendicular to the ground when he helped perform Frelia’s Sun Greeting ceremony.

Ephraim laughs at that. “Acceptable is high praise, coming from you,” he explains, before Innes has even asked him what’s so amusing about his comment.

“You should just be glad I’m the only one who noticed,” Innes replied, a bit snippily. “Some people take the superstitions surrounding the Sun Festival seriously, after all.”

“To my understanding, it’s only bad luck if the headpiece touches the ground,” Ephraim says. “I daresay I performed the ceremony well enough that it wasn’t ever anywhere near the ground.”

Innes raises an eyebrow. “You know more about the lore behind the ritual than I thought you would.”

“No, not especially,” Ephraim says. “I just remembered Lyon told me about it once. He said he wanted to see Frelia’s Sun Festival for himself one day.”

“I see,” Innes says stiffly, because he never quite knows how to take it when Ephraim or Eirika bring up Grado’s former prince. “Well, I suppose he was good for something.”

With unusual delicacy, Ephraim re-angles the frame of his body towards Innes as he tilts his head simultaneously. The tension around him rises, as if he’s physically been wound up, muscles taut with self-restraint. It’s a full-bodied expression that tells Innes exactly how many steps over the line he took even before Ephraim says, “You’ve said too much.”

What really drives the point is how neutered Ephraim’s tone is, as if he simply can’t be bothered to get worked up about it anymore. Contrary to Innes’s expectations, Ephraim has never publicly spoken a word of praise or in defense of Lyon – even Innes can intuit that Ephraim has already grudgingly resigned himself to the fact that he could neither save his friend nor salvage Lyon’s legacy in the history books that will be written of their era. That surprisingly calculating mindset, Innes supposes, may yet redeem him for his other shortcomings as king of Renais.

“I don’t think I need to apologize, but I will give the comment was unwarranted,” Innes concedes.

He supposes he must have said the right thing, because the tension in Ephraim’s body seems to dissipate. “You’re showing an unexpected generosity of spirit towards me today, aren’t you?” Ephraim says.

“It _is_ the Sun Festival today,” Innes replies. “And I suppose I’m merely giving you due credit for your participation this year. I found nothing major to criticize about how you performed the ritual, aside from the relatively lesser matter of your spearman’s grip.”

“I couldn’t possibly do a half-hearted job of it when _you_ , of all people, asked me to participate,” Ephraim says. “I was also told it’s auspicious for a foreigner to perform the Sun Greeting ceremony… but I had expected the invitation to go to Eirika instead.”

Innes supposes that Ephraim is avoiding mentioning Lyon directly now, which suits him just fine. “She does not have the character of the sun,” he says frankly. “Hers is more of the moon. The sun has a more brilliant nature than that. The sort of beauty where you must keep in mind that being too enamored of it will leave you burned.”

There’s a pause. The corners of Ephraim’s lips twitch up to form something in between a smile and a smirk, an expression Innes finds inexplicably frustrating. “For a moment, I thought you were suggesting that you’re worried you’ll be too charmed by me,” Ephraim begins.

Innes cuts him off: “Don’t take it in a strange way. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“But then I thought to myself, you aren’t likely to be charmed at all,” Ephraim says, in flagrant disregard of Innes’s attempt to make him stop. “I find that reassuring, you know. It makes me feel more comfortable around you.”

It would probably make his sudden feeling of embarrassment too obvious if he decided to avoid looking Ephraim in the eye, so Innes keeps his gaze steady and tries to ignore the fact that he can feel his ears growing quite warm. “Is that so,” he finally replies.

“So it is,” Ephraim says, and then leans in.

Innes narrows his eyes. “What are you doing?” he asks.

“Well,” Ephraim replies matter-of-factly. “I felt this was a natural place for a kiss to happen, so I thought you would notice my invitation and oblige.”

“This is exactly why I don’t find you charming at all,” Innes informs him, but before Ephraim can pull back away, he reaches out and curls his hand around the side of Ephraim’s head to hold him there as Innes meets Ephraim’s lips with his own.

If it’s awkward that Innes misaimed a bit and caught a bit of Ephraim’s upper lip against his teeth, or that he insistently tugged at Ephraim’s hair to realign their mouths instead of simply tilting his own head, Ephraim at least does not mention it as they part. Instead, Ephraim carefully places his hand on top of Innes’s own, guiding it so that Innes finds him cupping the curve of Ephraim’s cheek. “To each their own, as the saying goes,” Ephraim says.

Innes frowns, but doesn’t drop his hand. “I’m _not_ inviting you back for this next year,” he replies.

“I’ll find another excuse to visit, so it’ll be fine,” Ephraim asserts, and slides his hand down gently, squeezing Innes’s wrist lightly before letting go. It takes Innes a few seconds longer before he also releases his hold. “Now then – I hardly know anything about the Sun Festival other than the ceremonial part, so if you’d show me around, I’d appreciate it.”

“Very well,” Innes says, and is almost surprised to find himself mirroring the expression when Ephraim smiles – but he supposes that despite himself, he might be a little charmed anyway.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this five months ago and never posted it because (1) I never thought up a title, and (2) I made its title in my gdrive incredibly useless, so I forgot I ever wrote it:  
> 
> 
> I remembered it because Innes came out in Fire Emblem: Heroes and I promptly lost my mind over it. He came home for me eventually; now I have him and a +1 merged Ephraim on my current arena team :^)


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